Adventure at the Creek
by wawwhite
Summary: Ron gets sent to watch his little sister. Pre-Hogwarts.


Sisters. Ron wanted nothing more than to tell her to sod off, but mum insisted that he take Ginny to the park today. Fred and George were in big trouble, Percy was reading, and Charlie and Bill were studying, so Ron got put in charge of taking his squirrel of a sister out.

The brat was almost bouncing off the walls as Mum tried to put her coat on. Ron rolled his eyes as he waited, holding the door open, stretching to get outside and get going. With her coat mostly buttoned up, Ginny pushed past Ron and raced down the steps screaming at the top of her lungs. Ron looked morosely back at his mother.

Mrs. Weasley smiled and kissed Ron on the head. As he indignantly tried to wipe it off, she stated, "Thanks for taking Ginny today. I just can't handle her and the twins today." Unhappily, Ron shrugged and started down the steps himself. "I love you, sweetie," called his mother before she screamed, "Ginny! Wait for your brother!" Ron picked up his pace until he was running down the sidewalk after his mischievous sister.

Finally, Ron caught up with the girl who had stopped and was poking her fingers in a fence at their neighbor's bull mastiff. The dog was perfectly friendly, but Ron snatched her hand away, "Do not tease the dog, Ginny!" Ginny stuck out her lower lip, but was shortly distracted by a beetle on a clump of grass.

After seventeen more stops, Ron and Ginny finally made it to the park, three blocks away. Once they got there, Ginny snatched her grimy hand free of his and ran across the grass. Slowly, he meandered his way to the playground, trying to see if he knew anyone there. He saw a group of Bill's friends playing catch with bludgers and sighed, knowing they would not let him play. He had to keep an eye on Ginny after all.

Gloomily, Ron sat on a bench and tried to watch his sister and the older boys simultaneously. Ginny was squealing loudly as she swung on the swings, and Ron knew they would occupy her for a while. The boys looked like they were having fun, and Ron was only half-surprised when he heard a familiar yell and saw two redheads among the other boys. Bill and Charlie had snuck out and we getting off homework.

Just as he was contemplating going over there and blackmailing them into letting him play, he felt Ginny's hands shaking his shoulder. "Ron! Ron, come push me!"

He made no attempted to keep the disgust out his face as he growled, "No, Ginny! Push yourself – you're big enough."

Ginny pouted and whined, "Rooooon! Come play a game with me! Mom said you had to!"

"No, she did not!" he protested, but she jumped on his lap and tried to pull him up at the same time. "Ginny, get off!" She finally slid off and glared at him, hands on her hips. "Fine, I'll play with you, but let's go over there," Ron pointed in the opposite direction of the big boys.

With the warm sun on their backs, Ron and Ginny headed down to a murky creek that edged part of the park. Holding on to the branches of an obliging willow tree, they slid down the four-foot embankment to the short, sandy bed alongside the trickling water. Ginny laughed and immediately jumped into the inches-deep water. Ron properly removed his shoes and rolled up his pant legs before joining her.

As the afternoon passed, Ron soon forgot his brothers and his task and concentrated on having fun. They chased tadpoles, searched for frogs and salamanders, and drenched themselves throughly with mud. As the day wore on, they forgot completely about time, until their stomachs started rumbling.

"Roooooon," whined Ginny, "my tummy's hungry!"

Ron nodded, "Let's get our stuff and go back home." Ginny followed obediently along the creek bed as they walked back to their shoes. Noticing the late afternoon sky, Ron picked up his pace and was glad when Ginny ran past him. She would hurry ahead, instead of dragging her feet like she usually did. She ran out of sight, and Ron walked on, unconcerned.

When he made it back to the willow tree, he looked around, not seeing Ginny. He saw her shoes were gone and began to climb out of the creek when he heard her giggle. He sighed, then called, "Aren't you hungry, Ginny? Now's not the time for hide and go seek." No answer. The best way to get Ginny out of a hiding place (other than finding her) was to sit and wait it out; she got tired of hiding much sooner than he did waiting.

Ron sat on a rock and put his shoes and socks back on. By her giggle she was close by, so he tried to look around without being obvious about it. He looked across the creek; the bank was thick with brushes and low trees. After carefully searching, he determined that she was not over there. She might have climbed up the side, but she was hardly big enough; plus there were no hiding spots in the grassy meadow. Now he was getting tired and hungry. He peered down into the creek and saw a crawdad swim by. He thought about picking it up, but he had gotten pinched once and was not keen to try it again so soon.

A few minutes later he stood up, "all right, Ginny, you win, come out!" Ginny giggled again. He looked up. There she was, ten feet above him, hidden in the branches of the willow tree. "Darn it, Ginny! Get down! We'll get in big trouble for not being home yet!"

Ginny snickered, "Sorry, Ronnie. Here I come." Ron watched, annoyed, as his sister climbed quickly down. She had hardly gone more than three feet when she began to lose her balance. Ron gasped as Ginny lost her grip and fell the remaining feet through the branches. She landed on the bank above him, curled into a ball.

Quickly, Ron scrambled up the slope to the prone form of his sister. He managed to not scream, and looked down at her to see if she was breathing. She was alive, gasping for air, eyes screwed shut. "Ginny, are you hurt!? Ginny?" A few tears slipped down her cheeks and she nodded. "Where does it hurt?" She shook her head. "Your arms? Your back? Your legs?" Slowly, Ginny shook her head to the first two, but then nodded vigorously for the later.

"All right, Ginny, let me see. I won't hurt them." She flinched at first, but relaxed as her big brother gently touched her legs. "I don't think they're broken," Ron stated, trying to remember what had happened when Fred had broken his arm. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he asked, "Can you sit up?" Sadly, Ginny nodded and opened her eyes. Carefully, Ron helped her sit up. "Okay, Ginny, we have to go home."

"I want Mummy," cried Ginny as she twined her arms around her brother's neck.

"I know, Ginny, we're going to her," comforted Ron. He looked around, but there was no one left in the park, including his two truant brothers. Disappointed, he looked back at his sister, "Can you walk on it?" Frantically, she shook her head no and Ron sighed again. "I'll just have to carry you."

"You're not strong enough," she muttered into his shirt.

Ron knew that was true, but said anyways, "You bet I am. I'm going to carry you all the way home." Ginny nodded and said okay. Gingerly, Ron positioned himself next to her. He slid one arm around her back and the other under her knees. Slowly, he stood. Ginny cried more when her legs were jostled, but held on tightly. With a deep breath, Ron started off.

The walk home was long and Ron had to stop several times to put Ginny down and rest. Each time he was more careful and she cried less. They left the park and walked down the neighborhood streets. They passed the big dog, who whined at them. Ginny wiggled her fingers at him, "Good boy. Ron's carrying me. Good boy."

Ron never thought he'd make it up the walk and porch steps, but he did, Ginny calling the whole way. His mother and father and five brothers came pouring out, calling and asking questions. He passed Ginny on to his mother and father, who raced the girl inside, thanking Ron.

As Ron slumped on the porch, his brothers patted him on the back. "What the hero," congratulated George.

"Yes, well done, old boy," replied Fred.

Percy gave him the rare compliment, "Smart thinking, Ron, getting her home as soon as possible."

Charlie put his arm around Ron, "You've done good, Ronnie, saving our little sister."

Bill winked, "I'm proud of you, little brother."

Ron smiled to himself as they all walked back inside to check on their sister, who they could already hear laughing. He might be the youngest boy, but he was still a big brother.


End file.
